Ingredients
4 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 c. milk
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 1/2 c. shredded cheddar
1 lb. cavatappi
Preparation
Step 1Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Step 2In a medium pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and cook until golden and smells nutty, about 1 minute. Slowly add milk while whisking. Continue whisking until no lumps remain and mixture thickens, 1 to 2 minutes more. Step 3Add cream, ground mustard, and cayenne and season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 2 minutes, then turn off heat and whisk in cheese until completely melted. Step 4Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions. Reserve about ½ cup pasta water, then drain. Step 5Add 1/4 cup pasta water to cheese sauce and stir to combine. Add cooked pasta and stir to coat. Add more pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, to loosen sauce as necessary.
So that you don’t have to overthink things I went ahead and tested 11 versions and here’s what I learned along the way: When and how you add your milk matters It’s easy to want to add your milk directly after whisking in your flour but that won’t give it the proper time it needs to thicken your cheese sauce. Let your flour cook in the butter for a minute or two before very slowly adding your milk. The flour and butter should be a deep golden and very thick. When adding your milk, pour it in a thin steady stream whisking it in as you pour. Stop every half cup or so and whisk to make sure the flour isn’t clumping. If you pour your milk in all at once you will for sure end up with flour clumps that no amount of whisking can get rid of. The right type of cheese is important Cheese is an obvious ingredient to mac & cheese but don’t skirt past it because of that. Pre-shredded cheese is an enemy to creamy mac. The added preservatives keep it from breaking down and you’ll end up with a grainy sauce. Use a decent quality sharp cheddar and grate it yourself. It will help burn some calories you are about to indulge in. Want to use something other than cheddar? Try one of our 7 best cheeses for mac & cheese. Cook your pasta after making your sauce Letting your sauce rest for those 8 minutes or so let’s it thicken just slightly, which will make it the perfect consistency. The noodles will warm it right back up, don’t worry. Save that pasta water Pasta water is important! It holds all of the necessary starch from the pasta and helps your sauce and noodles bind together. You’ll add just a bit to the sauce before adding the noodles which will help prep the sauce - it needs the warning. Looking for a mac & cheese with a perfect crumb topping? Try our baked mac & cheese or this fancy bacon mac & cheese!
